Winning $1.2 million lottery ticket sold in York County

"Just enough to pay my bills and buy coffee," he said as he filled his travel mug at the Rutter's Farm Store on North Main Street in Jacobus Friday.

So it wasn't too upsetting to the 92-year-old retired paper mill worker from Loganville that he wasn't the holder of the nearly $1.2 million Match 6 Lotto ticket that was sold at the Rutter's he frequents. A million dollars, he, and others, reasoned, isn't what it used to be.

"That's just enough to get you in trouble," Crane said.

On Friday afternoon, no one at the store knew who had bought the ticket to a higher tax bracket. None of the regulars had come forward, store manager Sharon Hivner said.

First she heard about it was at about 9 a.m. Friday when someone from the Pennsylvania Lottery called to inform her that the winning ticket in Thursday's lotto drawing had been purchased at her store. Later, representatives of the Lottery stopped by to check its machine and verify that the store had indeed sold the ticket.

"I don't know if it's one of our regulars or someone who just stopped in," Hivner said. "I hope it's one of our regulars. That would be really nice. I'd like to know who it is."

She joked that even if the winner did stop in, she wouldn't have the cash on hand to redeem the ticket.

"It's the first big winner we've had here that I know of," said Hivner, who has worked at the store for four years.

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Lori Stern, a 50-year-old Dallastown woman who works down the road at Adhesive Research and who regularly buys lottery tickets at the store, said she had won $5,000 on a $10 scratch-off ticket purchased there.

"I guess it's a lucky spot," she said.

News traveled quickly, and the regulars at the store speculated about who the new millionaire might be, dropping names of those they know who play the Match 6 game. They know a lot of the people who frequent the store and play the lottery; it's a small town, and the convenience store is kind of a social center for Jacobus.

Dale Walter, a 41-year-old unemployed merchandiser from Jacobus, stopped in for some iced tea and to play the lottery.

"All I can tell you is it's not me," he said. "I've got two losers here to prove it."

Walter said it was a big deal, but added that $1 million doesn't go as far as it used to. The prize, according to the lottery, was $1,152,192, and after 25 percent is subtracted for federal withholding taxes, the winner's check would be for $864,144.

"I'd still take it," Walter said. "But you could spend that in a day."

Crane said he'd give the money to children and "make sure they get it."

Then, he said he might take a vacation.

"I'd fly around the world, stopping here and there," he said.

Hivner asked, "Would you take me with you, Sam?"

Crane replied, "Sure."

About the win

The winning numbers in Wednesday's Match 6 Lotto were 10, 14, 16, 33, 34 and 48. Some 68,767 other lottery players won lesser prizes in the drawing, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery.

The winner, who has a year to claim the prize, is encouraged to sign the back of the ticket and call lottery headquarters to file a claim.

Whoever has the ticket isn't the only winner. Rutter's will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, the lottery reported.